Despite the hype, the game didn’t quite catch on; less than a year after its initial release, SW:TOR has made the necessary transition to a free-to-play model.

'Free', as many would agree, is a pretty reasonable price. It has to be worth playing now, right?

Well… let’s talk about that.

A Long Time Ago… (2011)

I was in the SW:TOR camp very early. I constantly trolled the BioWare forums and daydreamed about my Jedi Sage in the months leading up to the game’s release.

As a long-time Star Wars fan (who isn’t?) and an MMO-head who was getting bored with World of Warcraft, I imagined this game would be my new fix.

I put in some serious hours at launch and had a great time. The game wasn’t perfect, but I loved the class stories and had a ton of fun in PvP Warzones; I may have been awful at Huttball, but that didn’t stop me from loving it.

But for one reason or another, I eventually canned my subscription. Friends lost interest, new games were coming out, it was just time to call it quits.

This context via my experience with SW:TOR is important, as my opinion of the free-to-play option is almost certainly different from that of a brand-new player. I played the game in its original form… which makes this revision all the more difficult to stomach.

The Tiers

Players jumping into BioWare’s MMO have three payment options. Free, preferred, and subscription.

Free is just what is sounds like. Play the game with a long list of restrictions, but free of any monthly fees.

Preferred is similar, but with slightly less restrictions. Make any in-game purchase of $4.99 or more and you can upgrade to the preferred tier. This unlocks things like the ability to sprint at level 1 and full general chat functions (Editor's note: YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR SPRINT!?!?! I find this deeply offensive. – Rocco).

Subscriptions are about $14.99 a month and give access to the full game.

I find your lack of functions… disturbing…

When I first looked over the list of free-to-play restrictions it seemed bearable. The limitation of three Warzones per week is what I thought would sting the most (Ed.: SPRINT!! THEY MAKE YOU PAY TO SPRINT!! THESE ARE ACTUAL MINUTES OF YOUR ACTUAL LIFE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT). After public outcry, this was eventually raised to five per week. Still not ideal, but a bit better.

I loved the class stories, so I figured I could overlook the limited PvP time. After all, there’s plenty to do in this game without spending every in-game hour in a Warzone.

That theory would be true if the free-to-play option would actually let me… you know… play the game the way it was designed to be played.

It’s a Big, Lonely Universe

Let's begin with some social stuff.

The limited use of the chat function makes becoming an active member of the community nearly impossible. Even the ability to send in-game mail is locked down for free players.

I'm sure this will help eliminate spammers, but it's a big hindrance for new players trying to immerse themselves in the world.

Think of everything Guild Wars 2 does to encourage the social aspect of MMOs… and then imagine the opposite.

It’s far too difficult to make new contacts and enjoy the social side of the game with the free-to-play option. Solo questing is definitely enjoyable, but at the end of the day this is a massively multiplayer online game. Other players are part of the appeal.

Making users pay to socialize and gain full access to chat seems detrimental to developing a strong community.

Well, that’s annoying…

Onto that delicate f2p tightrope…

Free-to-play MMO models with enticing optional purchases are tough to pull off. Developers need to find a way to make the game enjoyable out of the box, but draw players to a real money store to enhance the experience.

BioWare is still tweaking the system and making some positive changes, but it hasn't reached the sweet spot just yet.

The main flaw of the Star Wars system is that certain features that seem essential are held back from free-to-play users. Instead of offering subscribers new functions that enhance the game, basic features were stripped away to create an annoyance.

Upgrades aren’t purchased because they’re exciting; they’re purchased because playing without them is a total pain in the ass.

Free players are incapable of customizing the graphical user interface. They are limited to just two quickslot tabs to help manage all their toon’s abilities. This week, BioWare raised that limit from two to four for preferred players.

Unlocking additional quickslots costs around two dollars per bar. Those are character bound too, so you’ll have to make the purchase multiple times if you play more than one toon.

Keep in mind, this game is no Guild Wars 2, where a unique combat system allows 10 skills to get the job done. The abilities and combat system are much more a World of Warcraft clone, meaning players need lots of buttons at the ready.

Sure, a skilled user can develop a tight rotation with a handful of abilities and get the job done, but that’s not really what the game wants them to do. There are lots and lots of skills in SW:TOR for a reason and players shouldn't be limited on the organization and placement of them.

Other limitations feel similarly… cheap… for lack of a better word. Almost like punishment to non-subscribers. Like the five to ten level delay on mount access, the inability to purchase additional inventory space with in-game currency, and non-existent bank access. They all hinder the ability to enjoy the game out of the box.

Delaying access to a sprint ability until level 15 is also exactly as frustrating as you might expect (Ed.: There it is! Good Lord, what a clumsy, punitive design decision).

The list goes on.

I can live with that…

Despite my general frustration with the restriction list, some actually make perfect sense.

The restrictive character creation options have caused some controversy in the community. Non-subscribers are limited to the creation of two characters per account. You read that right. Two characters per account, not per server. With eight classes to experiment with, that’s quite a restriction.

But I think luring players in with access to two is reasonable. Experiencing a full class story requires playing a character all the way to max level. Doing that twice adds up to a pretty respectable /played time.

If you take two fellas (or ladies) all the way through their respective stories and are hungry for more of the game, maybe you’re ready for the subscription model.

Plus, BioWare recently announced that this limit will soon be raised to six for preferred players.

Other basic limitations like no access to rested experience and an increased price on specializations seem equally fair. There has to be some benefits for subscribers, right?

Can’t Buy Me Love

As you might have already gathered, I’m pretty unhappy with SW:TOR’s free-to-play option. It's great to see BioWare listening to player feedback and making tweaks, but I think the game still has an uphill battle ahead.

I love the class quests and I think Stars Wars fans will have a great time working through them. It’s just a shame that the experience will be hindered by excessive restrictions for non-subscribers.

If you don’t mind spending a few bucks in-game to work your way up to preferred status, then I think the game is still worth a try. New players are sure to enjoy the novelty of impressive voice acting in an MMO.

—

Things have changed a lot since SW:TOR’s release. Guild Wars 2 may not have quite as impressive cut scenes for every quest, but the pacing and story are still very engaging. Even Mists of Pandaria uses phasing to tell some great stories with that trademark Blizzard sense of humor. It seems the Star Wars class stories I once revered may be just business as usual these days.

That being the case, I don’t see Star Wars, as it's currently constituted, pulling very many players away from other MMOs.

Despite the temptation, I don’t foresee this free-to-play transition winning back many SW:TOR players that have already hung up their lightsabers and blasters, either. If the game wasn’t engaging enough to hold your attention at launch, I don't think this version will change your mind.

Epilogue: ‘Tis the Season

So… that experiment was a bit disappointing.

Oh, well. It's time to move on to the next exciting thing in the world of MMO-ing.

The holiday season is upon us and all the big games are ready to unveil their respective seasonal events. Check back for the next MMO-ing to hear our take on which MMO does winter best.